[OwnedByJezebel]

I'm another one that knows exactly how you feel. I don't have skin kids, either. Jezebel had an LP repair and CCL repair in April of this year, and she just turned 4 years old last week.

My logical side knew that it had to be done, but I had this heavy, heavy, sense of dread and high level of anxiety. Also profound guilt, because I felt like it was my decision to put her through this. Then there is the uncertainty of not knowing what to expect after the surgery and how to manage the recovery, and would I do something to mess it up, like her having some sort of accident if I only turned my back for an instant. I don't think the anxiety went away until her first appointment 10 days after the surgery to take the stitches out.

Like you, I was blessed to be home with her all day. I insisted that she never be left alone during the 8 week recovery, and my husband (who is retired) and I just arranged our schedules so that someone was always with her.

As far as the recovery goes, initially you won't have a problem confining her, because she won't feel good enough to want to run or jump. I kept Jez in an ex pen that was a little larger than her bed and a pee pad. She was only allowed to walk around to go to the bathroom (and that first poop is monumental, be prepared it could take 2 or 3 days).

Preventing running and jumping: Any time she was out of the ex pen, it didn't matter where, she was tethered. I used a short grooming loop. If she was in my lap or next to me on the sofa, she was tethered to my arm. If she was in her bed next to me on the floor, she was tethered to my ankle or a piece of furniture. There was no opportunity for her to jump down or bolt away and run. She gets excited and jumps up and down when food is going in her bowl, so one of us would pick her up before we even got her food out of the pantry. Every time she went out, she was on a leash. She also gets excited and runs when someone is at the front door, so I put a sign on the front door saying that there was a recovering surgical patient so no knocking or ringing the door bell. (That worked surprisingly well -- UPS even left a wine delivery without knocking or asking for an adult signature).

From week 2 to week 8, she was allowed to go on therapy walks 2 to 3 times a day. Week one the walks were 5 minutes each, and they increased by 5 minutes each week until she reached 20 - 30 minutes per walk. That really helped her with her stir-craziness.

Bottom line, it is very difficult but you CAN do this. You emotions are very normal, because this IS a big deal, but this is best for her in the long run. If you don't do this, you are setting her up for lameness. I have seen a dog that needed knee repairs and didn't get them, and the quality of their life was sad.

When I see Jez outside now -- running like the wind, as fast as ever -- I am so glad we did this. Your pup and Jez are relatively young, and they have a long life ahead of them. You are doing a good thing that will give her a much better quality of life in the years ahead.